Montessori Radmoor

Week of 2/16/18

Dear Parents,

This week we celebrated Valentine’s Day in true Radmoor fashion. We got together with the Upper Elementary class and sat in one large circle. Surprisingly enough, we still fit in The Great Room. That was the name given to the lower elementary room three years ago, due to the size of it.

When you think of the preparation of Valentine’s Day cards and/or small gifts, there is a great deal of thought put into it. The children take their time outside of school to create and address their cards to their classmates. They take great pride in walking around the center of the circle and handing out what they’ve made.

Caring for others is an essential element of the elementary years in Montessori philosophy. Celebrating Valentine’s Day is just one way that we practice caring for others.

We also went on a field trip to go ice skating, another Radmoor tradition for Valentine’s Day. It is important to take time outside of the classroom to allow the children to bond and form deeper relationships with each other through experiences such as ice skating.

Have a wonderful weekend, and as always, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to send me an e-mail, sfranklin@montessoriradmoor.org.

Kindly,

Ms. Sara, Ms. Danielle, and Mr. Ben 

Week of 2/9/18

This glance is coming straight from my heart and more about the adults in the room.

Lately I have been noticing myself “lecturing” the children in the classroom. Have you ever been lectured? Think of a time you were lectured by an adult, do you remember it as being super effective, or did you feel a little like Charlie Brown listening to his teacher? “Waaaa, waaa, waaa, waaa…” I am sure most of us can relate to that.

Usually, as adults, we lecture children with THE BEST intentions. We do it in attempt to help them learn a lesson or process a situation in a way that we feel is productive. However, lecturing does the exact opposite. Most children tend to tune out and don’t really hear the message you, with the best intentions, are giving to them.

In an effort to help the children process experiences, events or natural consequences Ms. Danielle, Mr. Ben and I have been focusing on “Curiosity Questions”. These questions help children draw out their own conclusions and learn from their mistakes. As Montessorians we ask these questions to lend a control of error for the child so that they can learn through self-discovery.

When we lecture children, we are “stuffing in” information and wonder why our glorious message “goes in one ear, and out the other.”

If you are interested in helping your child with self-discovery, I encourage you to also ask these “Curiosity Questions”. Here are some examples:

“I noticed_________. What happened? (then listen)

“How did that happen?” (then listen)

“What did you learn from this experience?” (listen)

“How do you plan to solve the problem?” (listen)

“What ideas do you have to prevent this from happening in the future?” (listen)

“How can I help?” (listen)

In all cases, as hard as it may be, avoid giving advice. Have faith that your child will figure things out just because they had a listening ear.

I hope you have a great weekend and as always, if you have any questions, feel free to send an e-mail, sfranklin@montessoriradmoor.org

Peace,

Ms. Sara, Ms. Danielle and Mr. Ben

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